AusBonsai

Hey guys, I was wondering about your thoughts on cut paste alternatives. I was scouring the net the other night in my thirst for knowledge and came across someone who recommended using vaseline rather than cut paste or any other commercial sealant. So i was wondering about your thoughts on this.

Aaron

Good question Aaron.
You may like to read this post on Sealing Paste.
Regards,
Steven

I have used the Japanese putty but have now moved on the the Japanese tube of creamy stuff

As we so not use much of it, it costs so little as to not worry about it.

Ray sells it for $15 per tube

Vaseline or petroleum jelly does the job without colouring the wound but it is ephemoral and often needs to be re-applied. The advantage of using stuff that is made for the job is that you can choose the colour which matches the bark best.

pva is sweet as...

aaron_tas wrote:pva is sweet as...

You arn't supposed to eat it!

I would have thought PVA will wash off as it is not waterproof?

i guess i just grew up on clag, and moved onto pva, spewin it doesn't come on a swizzle stick like clag

i have noticed that sometimes on some of the bigger cuts, it may turn a bit white again soon after the cut, but only when the tree is super wet.

i do use that green tube of stuff i cant read, but mostly only on azaleas.

Hey Guys,
Plastercine with a dab of olive oil also works quite well, but the sealing paste in the green tube you can't read works the best. It heals the wound faster than anything else.


Thanks,
Mac

Bee's wax, Electricians putty and Kendon cutting mastic all work well.

Tim Vivoda of A to Z bonsai starters recoends this
Equal parts PVA glue and egg white, mixed with soy protein (you can use soft tofu). You can also add any water-based paint for blending it with the surrounding bark. Provided you keep this in a sealed container, it should last a while and does the same job as that expensive ‘$25 per tube’ stuff.

More details of this can be found on the Yarra Valley Bonsai Society Webite in the december newsletter.

Cheers

Jarrod

very interesting thanks for the info

Jezz wrote:Tim Vivoda of A to Z bonsai starters recoends this
Equal parts PVA glue and egg white, mixed with soy protein (you can use soft tofu)...........
Cheers
Jarrod

Ahhhhhhhh that makes sense! I always had a suspicion that tofu was not made for eating....

Interesting info!

JayC

aaron_tas wrote:pva is sweet as...

aaron_tas wrote: i have noticed that sometimes on some of the bigger cuts, it may turn a bit white again soon after the cut, but only when the tree is super wet.

I mix some dirt with my PVA, somehow it's always a good match for the bark colour and it thickens it up as wel,l so no drips.

EDIT: so no turning white again either

I dont use anything.

hey asus,

if you are working on azaleas i recommend sealant.

but i have heard of a few people that never use it...

i seal anything over pencil thickness.